Bianca Belair Gives Update on Injury amid WWE Return Being Delayed

It was during the Mania triple threat when Bianca suffered a hand injury, and she has been recovering for nearly six months, far longer than expected. She has missed out on competing in some of WWE's biggest shows, including SummerSlam and Evolution, where her former friend Naomi won the Women's World Championship.

The 36-year-old delved into the situation regarding the injury and how it occurred. She told BET 106 & Sports:

"I broke my knuckle, broke the joint. It's something that I thought was going to be a very straightforward 8 to 12 weeks — it’s been almost six months at this point. It was WrestleMania. I was in a Triple Threat with Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky, and we were going to the top rope, because that's what we do. And we came off the top rope, and Rhea landed straight on my hand, and it just crushed everything in my finger."

Bianca is hopeful she will soon be cleared to compete:

"So it's been a crazy journey. Being an athlete and having an injury, you rely on your body, and now my body's not doing what it's supposed to do. But, I'm hoping I can be back in the ring soon."

Bianca could be a surprise entrant in the Women's Royal Rumble match, which takes place on January 31st in Saudi Arabia. She may well have Jade Cargill in her sights, given that the new WWE Women's Champion has turned heel, paving the way for the former tag team champions to feud.

The EST of WWE did appear at the Evolution PLE back in July, when she was on duty as special guest referee in a No Holds Barred match between Naomi and Cargill. That's the last time she has been on WWE TV and the delay in her recovery could mean she is absent until the turn of the year.

Bianca Belair on Potential 'Magic' Match Against Jade Cargill

Bianca played an important role in the early stages of Cargill's WWE career, partnering with The Storm, which helped put the former AEW star on the map. They won the Women's Tag Team Championships twice during their tag team run together but their first encounter saw them at odds with one another.

Cargill debuted in the Royal Rumble match, and the pair stood toe-to-toe with one another to a massive pop in the arena. Bianca alluded to this back in March 2024 when asked about a possible match between the pair (via Gorilla Position):

“I mean honestly, of course you saw the reaction with Jade, right? It’s Royal Rumble. We didn’t say anything, we didn’t do anything. We didn’t wrestle, we didn’t touch each other and the crowd was going crazy. I think the Instagram post on WWE had like nine million views within two days. So, that alone just shows the type of magic that we can create by just standing in the ring so imagine the magic that we can create whether it’s a singles or a tag. Who knows what can happen?"

Bianca could be the ideal opponent for Cargill should she remain WWE Women's Champion come WrestleMania 42. She defeated Tiffany Stratton at Saturday Night's Main Event last month to win the first singles title of her WWE career.